10 Things To Do In Isolation This Week In Louisville (4/13)
TUESDAY, April 14 Kaijuesdays Live! Facebook Live Free | 9 p.m. Kaiju’s weekly comedy show lives on! No word on what laughs they’re cooking up this Tuesday, but last week comedians squared off in an original game show called, “Why Would I Know That?!” WEDNESDAY, April 15 Beginners’ Ukulele Class $10 | 11 a.m.-noon Annoy…
Remembering John Prine: Louisville musicians reflect on the songwriting giant
John Prine, whose hard-hitting stories about everyday people earned him a spot among America’s greatest songwriters, died last week due to complications related to COVID-19. He was 73. During his five-decade career, Prine released a string of venerable albums, starting with his legendary self-titled record in 1971 and ending with 2018’s powerful The Tree of Forgiveness,…
Freedom Fridays caravan: Driving to save inmates’ lives
The coronavirus outbreak has upended normal life for everyone, including those in the Louisville corrections system, as well as those who work there. Freedom Fridays vs. COVID caravan was launched to give those in jail a voice and demand that authorities take action to protect inmates’ lives. It is sponsored by Louisville SURJ, The Bail…
State and city vs. churches: Don’t drink the ‘religious freedom’ Kool-Aid — it’s deadly
Imagine that you awake one morning, get online and click on your favorite news site. You are greeted by this grisly headline: “Police Seek Death Cult Leaders After Ritual Human Sacrifice.” You read on to discover that these cultists have been rounding up victims to offer up as sacrifices to their God, killing them in…
Local workers use union tactics to gain COVID-19 incentives, protections
There are few restaurant unions in the U.S. and none in Louisville, but some Heine Brothers’ Coffee employees organized a sickout last Friday to demand more protections against coronavirus. Hannah Jones, a barista, said that she and at least 35 employees who signed a demand letter to leadership either didn’t work that day or called…
Have a brush, will paint a mural: The iconic art of Damon Thompson
When Damon Thompson was laid off last month from the Habitat ReStore, he got to work on his latest project — murals on people’s garages, sheds and other property. So far, the Louisville artist has completed 20 throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana as well as one in Shepherdsville. As he began to display his work in…
5 Things To Do While Social Distancing In Louisville This Weekend (4/10)
FRIDAY, April 10 Virtual Shakespeare in the Park: ‘The Comedy of Errors’ Facebook/YouTube Free | 7 p.m. This week’s throwback Shakespeare in the Park performance is “The Comedy of Errors.” Two pairs of identical twins, separated at birth, show up in the same town, and a farcical case of mistaken identity ensues. Watch a recording…
‘Ain’t nothing but a house party!’ Stop it with the F’n house parties, idjits
“They’re dancing on the ceiling, they’re dancing on the floor People everywhere coming through the door They know there’s a party going on Through the dance and romance all night long … Ain’t nothing but a house party!” —The J. Geils Band’s (Ain’t Nothing But A) House Party How is your social distancing going? Figured…
Photos of The Parade of Families, a drive-through nursing home visit
In-person visits are now banned at nursing homes and rehab centers, a reasonable but difficult precaution for residents and their families alike. Signature HealthCARE at Jefferson Manor Rehab & Wellness Center got creative: It held a drive-through visitation for residents and their families dubbed the Parade of Families. Residents were escorted from the center to…
Not much winning in this legislative session
It might have taken a global pandemic, but the Kentucky state legislature came together to act responsibly and, in some cases, sensibly to pass a budget and several bills. Of course, in other cases, Republicans couldn’t help themselves to push through some bad, partisan legislation. The best decision made by the legislators was to amend…
Savage Love: The No-Pandemic Challenge
Q: Your last two columns and your last two podcasts were all about the pandemic. Everything everywhere is all about the pandemic right now. Can you give it a rest? For maybe a week? Could you answer some questions that aren’t about pandemic? Any fun kink questions come in this week? I could all use…
Recording an album during the coronavirus
Jaxon Lee Swain and his band were supposed to start recording a new album this weekend at the Lexington Recording Co., but those plans were put on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The five-piece hasn’t been able to rehearse for several weeks, losing the ability to prepare songs, but, more importantly, they thought…
Photos from an On Fire Christian Church service: Park it, and they will worship
From need comes creativity, but the social-distancing rules still need to be followed. On Fire Christian Church on New Cut Road held a drive-in service on Sunday as a way of worshipping while staying safe. Parishioners were asked to remain in their cars while Pastor Chuck Salvo preached from a trailer equipped with large speakers.…
McConnell: Hit with a pebble, respond with a boulder
It’s a time for us to be apart literally and a time to be together figuratively. But politics long ago moved mainly to the figurative battlefield, and we shouldn’t expect its divisiveness to take a holiday even in a deadly pandemic. And now the crisis itself is an issue. Two weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader…
Mayor Fischer — Where did the homeless go?
From the Political Affairs Desk of the Kentucky Derby Motor Speedway. If there’s to be a clear thesis to this piece, I’ll just go ahead and ask the pressing question of the moment: Mayor Fischer, where did the homeless go? They are a regular mechanism of the Downtown Machinery of the Universe, neither good nor…
Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best & Most Absurd (4/8)
Thorn: is this just the start? A prickly thorn goes to the jackwad who allegedly attacked young adults in Norton Commons because, allegedly, they were not social distancing. A video shows a man pushing three young women and grabbing another by the neck. John Rademaker has been charged with strangulation and other crimes, The Courier…
Local synagogue Zoom meeting hacked by anti-Semites: Part of a growing, national trend
A Louisville synagogue has fallen victim to a new form of harassment called Zoombombing. Rabbi Robert Slosberg was five minutes into a virtual Zoom service last Thursday for Congregation Adath Jeshurun with about 30 people watching when multiple hackers commandeered the feed, broadcasting pornographic videos and shouting and drawing racist and anti-Semitic slurs. “It was…
It takes a city: Feeding the most vulnerable
Jefferson County senior citizens came last week to several locations including the former Kroger on Second Street, Southern High School and the Newburg Community Center to collect free meals. Because elderly people are more vulnerable to severe complications from the coronavirus, Louisville Metro government is providing free frozen meals to residents of Jefferson County who…
10 Things To Do In Isolation This Week In Louisville (4/6)
MONDAY, April 6 Ask the Zoo Director Facebook Live Free | 2 p.m. While closed, the Louisville Zoo is launching a series of weekly programs, kicking off with Ask the Zoo Director on Mondays. John Walczak will introduce to you a “magnificent” animal every week and host a Q&A session. On Tuesdays, zoo staff members…
Restaurant interrupted: The story of one chef, his new restaurant and COVID-19
Eric Morris has lived through many an opening day, both as a restaurant employee and as an owner. Usually, he’s “running around, stressed out,” according to the Louisville chef and former owner of Gospel Bird and Hull & High Water in New Albany. But on April 1, the day when Morris’ third restaurant, Faces Bar/Bistro…
Even as the world self-isolates, robot McConnell continues to pack courts
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abandoned his fellow senators last month to travel here during the epidemic to party with Justin R. Walker who was being sworn in as a judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Today, President Trump announced he is nominating Walker to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of…
5 Things To Do While Social Distancing In Louisville This Weekend (4/3)
FRIDAY, April 3 Frazier Virtual Museum fraziermuseum.org Free | Anytime Experience the Frazier History Museum without visiting it. The Museum Row mainstay has been creating online exhibits for the public to enjoy. Today’s attractions include educational videos about how people lived during prohibition, a song parody featuring Gov. Andy Beshear and various artwork (and even…
When Corona Signs are not about beer
“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.” Certainly, the Five Man Electrical Band did not envision how signs are being used during Corona 2020 when they made the song famous in 1971. (Remember this lyric? “And the sign said ‘Long-haired freaky people need not apply’”) Check out photographer Kathryn Harrington’s growing collection of Corona signs.
Guilty or… guilty? Photo of Corona golfers tells only half the story
It was a tempest in the 18th hole cup, a Corona Controversy that exposed a collective, mob mentality that is only deepening as we enter day number… who knows, of Unhealthy at Home. That widely circulated photo of golfers at a private, Prospect golf club unleashed torrents of vitriol, class shaming and pronouncements of better-than-thou…
As Kentucky lags behind in drive-thru testing, pop-up sites cause confusion
The Kentucky state government has yet to announce its plan for drive-thru coronavirus testing sites, but at least two medical marketing companies set up pop-up tents, promising results in 24 hours in exchange for $250, the legality of which is now being investigated by the metro police. Although these companies are claiming to have been…
Hannah L. Drake is the #AngerTranslator
Gov. Andy Beshear: Healthy at Home talks about all the things you can do! Me: What he is really saying is: CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT! Shelter at Home, Healthy at Home, Netflix and Sit Still, Home and Working, Home and Eating, Chilling at Home, Posted Up At Home….I DON’T GIVE A DAMN!! JUST STAY…
The New York Times Magazine Crossword (No. 0329)
Click here for the latest New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle that you can print out. And go to the PDF version of LEO for the answers.
Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best & Most Absurd (4/1/2020)
Thorn: Repeat: Only Hitler is Hitler Not enough vitriol and shaming can be heaped upon U.S. Rep. Thomas “Short-circuited” Massie for holding up virus relief aid and forcing U.S. House members to expose themselves to illness by returning to D.C. But, then, Democratic challenger Alexandra Owensby compared him to Hitler, basically saying the architect of…
Savage Love: Open and Shut
Q: My husband and I got married in August of 2019 and we were together for over five years before getting married. I’m very happy and love him with all my heart. I want to have his kids and support his entrepreneurial efforts as he supports mine. We don’t fight, we just have some tiffs…
Growing up in isolation: ‘She will eventually learn how our expectations were suddenly turned upside down’
In 2019, Artemis, an Aquarius, was born in a bright, sterile box on the ground. Now she exists in the air. She does not yet know what schools teach about our prehistoric ancestors; the ones who first jabbered in discernible languages and used complex tools. In fact, it is possible that she will never sit…
Chefs worry but get creative during coronavirus shutdown
Chef Anthony Lamas opened Seviche, A Latin Restaurant in 2005 in The Highlands, and it was and has continued to be a huge hit with locals and tourists alike for its melding of Latin and Southern culinary influences. However, Seviche is a fine dining establishment that opens only for dinner — it was never an…
Alcohol delivery in the time of corona
Jared Schubert is humble. When you ask him to describe himself and his specialties, he says, “I don’t take it too seriously,” and laughs off what I know is extraordinary talent. He’s a well-known bartender, spirits specialist, certified master of his craft in a myriad of ways, founder of beverage programs, educational content and curator…
During COVID-19, state must address needs of incarcerated people
As the number of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky continues to increase, all of us across the Commonwealth are rightly being asked to consider the needs of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Kentucky’s leaders must extend that same consideration to a uniquely vulnerable group: incarcerated people. In correctional facilities, access to basics such as…
How the coronavirus has affected local album releases
Ryan Patterson played a concert in San Diego on March 13, the day his latest album under the moniker Fotocrime was released. The next day, he flew home to Louisville, cancelling the remaining shows on the tour because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus. That album, a haunting, post-punk full-length called South Of Heaven,…
Protesting In The Era Of Coronavirus: Activists Get Creative
The poster board flapped from the black Jetta SportWagen’s windows as the car circled the Kentucky State Capitol building over and over again: “Protect Capitol Workers,” read one homemade sign. “Go Home,” said another. The vehicle, driven by Beck Jones, was one of around 15 honking and circling the building last week where Kentucky lawmakers…
How soon before we all live in ‘Maple Street,’ or being a Corona Cop to save lives
It is beginning to feel a lot like a “Twilight Zone” episode about how something bad happens in society, government seizes control — and then gets us to report on our neighbors. Or maybe this actual one: “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street “(1960), which is about how a blackout fosters suspicion among neighbors…
10 Things To Do In Isolation This Week In Louisville (3/30)
TUESDAY, March 31 Zoom Chat with Rep. Yarmuth Zoom Free | 11 a.m.-noon Get the lowdown on the coronavirus stimulus package passed last week by Congress from one of the lawmakers involved, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, LEO’s founder. RSVP at kathy@prospectareachamber.org to be sent the Zoom link. You’ll be able to ask Yarmuth all your…
Behind the scenes photos from the MAMMOTH’s livestream fundraiser
In a bid to save The MAMMOTH, a Civil War-era warehouse, owner Aron Conaway and friends hosted a five-hour variety show fundraising livestream event that was broadcast from various undisclosed locations around Louisville. The once-vibrant space for artists, musicians and other creatives must be brought back up to code so it may re-open. Featured in…
Photos: Dance The Distance Gets Butchertown Moving
As the coronavirus pandemic has upended normal life and has many staying home, Ken Lucchese and Jeannde Ford brought music and dance Sunday to Butchertown with the goal of getting them to join in — from the safe distance of their yards and porches, of course. Ford danced to music through Butchertown while Lucchese filmed…
Finally the sun… photos from Saturday
It was a beautiful day after a string of dark rainy ones. Kids were out with chalk. And Red Top, Hot Buns and the 502 Cafe brought their food trucks to Emerson park on Saturday from noon-5 p.m. for the Grab & Go Festivo. Customers were encouraged to practice social distancing by calling the phone…
Gov. Andy: ‘There are only Americans vs. the coronavirus’… We ask: Why are Kentucky Republicans being such jerks?
It’s bad enough that Kentucky had to endure the national embarrassment of Gov. Matt Bevin, and we still suffer the taint of Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul. Oh, and U.S. Rep. Thomas “I Patented Churlishness” Massie, who singlehandedly forced members of Congress to return to Washington, D.C., in the midst of an epidemic…
7 fun, inspiring stories from LEO’s archives (and one about a ghost)
We know you’re bored. We know you’re trying to stay home. We know the mountain of coronavirus content is overwhelming. So, we reached back through our archives and found eight fun stories — all of which have nothing to do with global pandemics — for your entertainment. Enjoy. ‘Crawling for the World’s Worst Liquor: Malört…
Mitch McConnell gets re-elected because you all forget — Do Not Forget!
McConnell depends on you to forget. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has staked his entire political career on a single bet: Voters will forget by the time they vote. He never would have lasted in the House of Representatives because elections are held every two years. A six-year term in the Senate provides plenty of time…
Photos of Louisville during the coronavirus
It seems most of us Louisvillians are following Gov. Andy’s plea to stay “healthy at home.” Some still have to work, and others are enjoying being social outside at a distance. Check out Kathryn Harrington’s photo essay on the City Under Corona.
What will I do with my $1,200? Use it to beat Massie
[Ed. note: This article has been updated to reflect House passage of the relief bill Friday.] Massie is selfish, not principled. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, the Republican who represents Kentucky’s 4th District, is not my congressman, thankfully. He does not answer to me as a voter. But, today, he was playing political games with my…
5 Things To Do While Social Distancing In Louisville This Weekend (3/27)
SATURDAY, March 28 MAMMOTH-vision 2020 Your House Donation based | 7 p.m.-midnight Are you not entertained?! Problem solved. The MAMMOTH is hosting a five-hour variety show with close to 20 local musicians, poets and other artists to raise money for the future arts and event venue. This is an important event for The MAMMOTH, because…
Gov. Andy: Liquor is ‘life sustaining’ in Kentucky, but so are guns!
There you have it: Beer and wine and liquor ARE “life-sustaining,” Gov. Andy says. During Wednesday’s 5 p.m. Show and Tell with Gov. Andy, he was explaining his latest executive order to close “non-life-sustaining” businesses, when he looked up from his papers and with what sounded like a sigh, a shrug and a hand wave…
Stop being stupid in the Metro Parks
Seneca and Shawnee parks removed basketball rims today. That’s because, despite the mayor’s order to shut down playgrounds and courts at the Metro Parks on Tuesday, selfish morons kept playing close-contact games. I saw pickup basketball at Cherokee yesterday. And Metro Councilman Bill Hollander tweeted this. I’ve made it a priority to try to get the…
Louisville Resident Returns After Being Stuck In Peru
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since Jack Hardin’s return to the United States. Jack Hardin is back in his hometown of Louisville after being stuck in Peru for over two weeks under a coronavirus-driven national lockdown. “I feel great,” said the 19-year-old on Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after getting back to…
Sen. Rand Paul’s reply to why he risked exposing people, or… Selfish is as selfish does
We make fun of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul a lot. OK, more than a lot. Going waayy back. But who deserves it more? Befitting his status as Kentucky’s junior senator, only our senior senator Mitch McConnell suffers more scorn and bad-natured roasting from us at LEO. Now, in The Time of Corona, Paul, a doctor…
It’s time to embrace Beshear The Younger’s puppies and rainbows
From the Political Affairs Desk of the Kentucky Derby Motor Speedway. These are weird and strange days, #TeamKentucky, living in a world where all of the toilet paper and noodles are missing from store shelves, but there’s enough fresh produce to feed everyone and all the homeless in Louisville. The most notable side effect of…
‘If you get it, you get it:’ Resistance, refusal in the time of coronavirus
While coronavirus cleared out Kentucky businesses last week and filled hospitals in New York City and elsewhere, 74-year-old Jim Peak went about his day as normal in Bullitt County. He showed up to his Rally’s fry cook shift at 9 a.m. After five hours of flipping burgers, Peak left to pick up a few things…
Welcome home, chickens
Less than two weeks ago, LEO staff writer Danielle Grady interviewed me for a piece about sick leave in the local hospitality industry. I was glad to help her because I was already writing a similar piece, but she got the assignment first, and it is an important subject. At that time, the buzz phrase…
Ask Minda Honey: How’s ‘Rona Treating Your Romantic Life?
In a relationship or life jam? Send your questions to: AskMindaHoney@leoweekly.com or reach me on Facebook.com/AskMindaHoney My baby sister texts me that she is happy about the way my friend’s partner is caring for her children while she goes to work every day in the midst of a pandemic. Twitter is crowded with couples unsure…
Restaurants take to the curb!
The governor’s announcement that dining in restaurants was forbidden hit Louisville like a bad case of food poisoning. No one expected it. No one wanted it. We are all waiting for it to end. What would become of all the restaurants if they could not serve food? What would become of the legions of chefs, line cooks,…
Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best, & Most Absurd (3/25)
Rose: We are virtual geniuses! Roses go to the rafts of creative Louisvillians who are taking their real lives and putting them online. Wait… that is just Facebook. No, these are yoga teachers, musicians, actors, comedians and even just people who have decided to spend their coronacation helping others. Like members of the Facebook group…
Louisville’s Run On Guns, Ammo And… Inside The Mind Of A Coronavirus Gun Buyer
Keith Searcy was already planning on buying a gun. The 22-year-old New Albany resident has been shooting since he was a teenager and was saving to buy one this summer. Then, the novel coronavirus drove crowds to the grocery stores, and Searcy observed people acting, what he called, “irrational.” Irrational, like storming grocery stores for…
The Louisville music scene is embracing livestreams and innovation
Aron Conaway has an idea, one that could help break the boredom of isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak. It also could raise money to save the MAMMOTH, his Civil War-era building in West Louisville that he envisions as a multi-purpose art center but that the city closed because of structural issues. This Saturday night, Conaway…
Local record shops find ways to safely get you vinyl
It isn’t possible right now to walk into your neighborhood record store, comb through bin after bin and strike up conversations and arguments about all things music, but there are still ways to buy vinyl from those Louisville businesses. For example, Guestroom Records shut its doors to the public a week before the ordered closure…
Now the chicken hawk has come home to roost
“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone?” When Joni Mitchell sang that line, “paved paradise” in the song “Big Yellow Taxi,” she was referring t o the environment, specifically green space, but today it might well imply something else: government, specifically the federal government. For decades,…
Beshear Gets It
Can we all agree that priorities for the 2020 global pandemic must be: 1. Saving lives 2. Rescuing the economy so people keep their jobs, can find work and not lose their homes and savings 3. And everything else necessary to return Kentucky and the nation to some semblance of normalcy. Gov. Andy Beshear gets…
An open letter from those of us in between
There isn’t much that we can write about how this pandemic operates. Either people understand what we’re up against and the necessity of social distancing, or they don’t. We need more tests. Right now, the focus is on helping the most financially vulnerable people in this crisis. There is a part of this group that I…
LEO moves online only… for now
We know you are getting pretty chapped by all of this obsessive handwashing, so LEO has some good news and some goodish news for you. You won’t have to worry about washing ink off of your hands when you read the next LEO because this is the last printed edition until at least April 15.…
West Of Ninth: People, in their own words…(3/25)
“I’ve always believed that a person was sent here for a particular job. My job was always dentistry. When I was a kid, all of my baby teeth rotted out. We basically had no toothbrush until I was 5. I got a toothbrush when I started first grade. When you got to first grade, you…
